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IRB & IRISH VOLUNTEERS. To examine the revival of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the foundation of the Irish Volunteers. MILITARISM. Irish Militarists:.
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IRB & IRISH VOLUNTEERS To examine the revival of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the foundation of the Irish Volunteers.
MILITARISM Irish Militarists: • Militarism is the name given to a belief in the use of force in politics – the end justifies the means. It also suggests admiration for the people using physical force, who are often seen as patriots. • Militarists believe that they act in the best interest of a cause/country so have no need to get a democratic mandate from the people.
THE IRB • DECLINE: Many members withdrew from the IRB, following the Phoenix Park murders and the dynamite campaign (1883 – 1885), and by 1900 the IRB was a spent force. • REVIVAL: Two Belfast men, Denis McCullough and Bulmer Hobson, joined the IRB in 1901 and 1904, respectively. Disgusted with the state of the Brotherhood they forced out those they considered incompetent and recruited new members through front organisations such as the Dungannon Clubs. • EXPANSION: McCullough and Hobson were supported by Thomas Clarke who had spent 15 years in prison for terrorism. He was closely connected with John Devoy, the leader of Clannna Gael in the USA, and he was fanatically devoted to revolution. These qualities made him a powerful ally, and by 1912 the ‘new men’ controlled the IRB.
THE IRB • INFILTRATION: In the 1860s the IRB was a mass movement, and the police easily infiltrated and destroyed it. The new IRB was much smaller. Its members were disciplined and dedicated. Too few to stage a revolution themselves, its members infiltrated open Nationalist organisations (GAA, Gaelic League, Sinn Fein) to turn them in a more extreme direction. Their greatest success came when they secretly took control of the Irish Volunteers.
FOUNDING OF THE IRISH VOLUNTEERS • In November 1913 EoinMacNeill wrote an article called ‘The North Began’ which was published in An ClaidheamhSoluis. He claimed that he admired the Ulster unionists dedication to their cause (UVF) and said that the Nationalist majority in Ireland should do the same and set up a nationalist militia (an army made up of ordinary citizens rather than professional soldiers). The IRB were already involved with militarism and MacNeill could provide a respectable front to this which would appeal to a broad range of Nationalists.
FOUNDING OF THE IRISH VOLUNTEERS • At a public meeting in the Rotunda Gardens on 25th November 1913 the Irish Volunteers was founded. About 7,000 people attended and 3,000 men signed up as members of the Volunteers that day, including their future leader, Eamon de Valera. • MacNeill was appointed Commander-in-Chief. He ran an Executive Committee of 30 members, 12 of whom were in the IRB. • The aim of the Volunteers was to secure Home Rule for Ireland. This gained them a lot of Nationalist support from members of Sinn Fein, the GAA and the Home Rule party, as well as foreign support from America. • They adopted the Irish name OglaighnahEireann.
FOUNDING OF THE IRISH VOLUNTEERS • Unionist activity such as the Curragh Mutiny and the Larne Gun-Running resulted in the Volunteer membership increasing to 130,000 – a third of which were based in Ulster. • By 1914, the Volunteers threatened to dominate the Home Rule party, as concerns grew that Home Rule could be blocked. Redmond demanded that 25 Home Rulers be appointed to the Volunteer Executive Committee. O’Neill agreed so not to split the Volunteers but the old Committee remained in real control. • Despite declaring that ‘there would be work for women’, O’Neill refused to allow women to join the Volunteers. In 1914 the Irish Women’s Council (CumannnamBan) was established with Countess Markievicz as its leader. Its main activity was to raise weapons money for the Irish Volunteers.
FOUNDING OF THE IRISH VOLUNTEERS • Similar to the UVF, the Volunteer ran guns and ammunition into Howth in 1914. They did not have the support of the British army or police and the troops shot into the jeering crowd, killing three people. This only increased support for the Volunteers. • During the war Redmond pledged to defend Ireland and encouraged Volunteer to join up to Irish regiments. MacNeilldisagreed and this caused a split in the Volunteers. The majority 170,000 supported Redmond and became known as the National Volunteers. 10, 000 men, including de Valera and Collins remained with MacNeill and pledged to keep the organisation together until Home Rule was passed. They were more hard-line and republican and became known as the Irish Volunteers.
QUESTIONS: • How did nationalists view the Ulster Volunteers? • What did Eoin Mac Neill propose in his article ‘The North Began’? • Why did the Irish Volunteers split in 1914? Write a paragraph on one of the following: • The growth of Irish Volunteers. • The Howth Gun-Running.
